Now that The Hobbit has the greenlight and all types of wheels are moving, New Zealand is ready to step up their game to keep the project from moving elsewhere.

This week, New Zealand ministers will meet with Warner Bros execs to decide whether or not the film we be shot in the country.

There is speculation over whether or not Warner Bros will seek higher production incentives than the current 15% large budget production grant. If they try this, they may very well get away with it, because of how desperately New Zealand could use a $500 million production in their country.

New Zealand also needs to get the production going, because according to currency analysts, uncertainty about The Hobbit has driven down the value of the country's dollar. Yikes!

In related Hobbit/New Zealand news, it looks like Hobbit's production team has been sending contracts to Kiwi actors, which would provide them with residuals from the film, which is a first for local New Zealand performers.

While the addition of residuals is a positive thing, there is some question as to the quality of working conditions as listed in the contracts.

Despite that, yesterday, rallies were scheduled all over New Zealand to show Warner Bros executives the country's enthusiasm for Hobbit production.

Sounds like there would be a lot of positives associated with The Hobbit production happening in New Zealand for the country!

We hope the meetings this week go well, and we'll hope that everything works out between New Zealand and The Hobbit execs.